1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and a printing method for displaying text data and image data stored in a storage device on a display device and outputting the data to a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among software applications which input, edit and print an image and characters, there are applications which include a function to print variable information (this function is hereinafter referred to as variable printing or variable data printing).
The variable printing function enables a user to change only a part of data as variable information in each print job while maintaining a general layout or main design. In label printing, for example, barcode and price information can be variably printed.
As variable data in printing, there are, for example, a specific text object and image object. More specifically, data specified as variable are read from a previously prepared database and printed. Such data is changed in each printing job.
When an application including the variable printing function is used, it is possible to continuously print posters by changing only a part of data for different shops or places while posters can be displayed without changing the print design itself. For example, when a business corporation running a plurality of shops and stores are going to print and distribute posters for its individual shops and stores, a general layout design is prepared in advance. Addresses and map data of the shops can be provided as variable data in the storage area of a database or a computer.
By reading the database and the general layout according to the application, it is possible to print posters in which only a shop address and map are changed while the general layout is retained. That is, by replacing a specified object on the master template of a poster with data from the database, each print can be different in units of records stored in the database. As technology for printing variable data, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 08-190636 and 2000-048216, for example, are known.
It is well known that when print product is displayed, its color is affected by the environment light of the place. In other words, the color of the print product looks changed depending on conditions of a light source at the place where it is observed. For example, even if the meat looks fresh when it is printed, it often occurs that the meat seems to have lost freshness under the environment light at the place where the print product is displayed. Besides food, a skin color of a person printed on a poster can also look different due to a change in the condition of the environment light.
With regard to a method for correcting the effects of light as described above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-041478 discusses a correction function that ensures that the colors of pictures look unchanged regardless of the environmental condition of the place where print product is observed, and discusses a simple method of setting the correction function.
Generally, print product, such as a poster, is made for display purpose. Since posters are displayed in various places, the condition of a light source can differ according to display locations. Therefore, there is requirement to make printed product subjected to necessary corrections so that a constant appearance as desired can be obtained regardless of the light source condition.
Moreover, images used for variable printing have not necessarily been corrected in a desirable manner. Therefore, in addition to performing printing by using the variable printing function, various corrections are required to be made to image data. In such a case, a plurality of image data to which various corrections have been made, can be prepared and it can be specified which image data is to be used out of a plurality of image data. However, in this configuration, corrected image data needs to be prepared in advance to support various kinds of correction. If a plurality of images needs to be prepared according to different correction processes as to the same image, it is difficult for a user to specify an appropriate image, thus there is a chance that the user may specify an inappropriate one. Since a correction process according to an environment light needs to be performed on the entire area of the print product, in a conventional configuration, it is necessary to prepare different print data for different correction processes.